Michel Blanc (16 April 1952 – 3 October 2024) was a French actor, writer and director. He is noted for his roles of losers and hypochondriacs. He is frequently associated with Le Splendid, which he co-founded, along with Thierry Lhermitte, Josiane Balasko, Christian Clavier, Marie-Anne Chazel and Gérard Jugnot. He also appeared in more serious roles, such as the title role in the Patrice Leconte film Monsieur Hire.
Life and career Michel Blanc came from a modest family background; being the only son of Marcel, a removals man and Jeanine Blanc, a typist. His parents cosseted him when it was discovered shortly after birth that he had a heart murmur. He attended the Lycée Pasteur in Neuilly-sur-Seine, where he met Gérard Jugnot and the two became friends and later professional colleagues. He also met Marie-Anne Chazel, Christian Clavier, Thierry Lhermitte and Josiane Balasko in those school years, the group later becoming the Le splendid troupe.
Blanc's breakthrough role was in Les Bronzés, a 1978 comedy about French holidaymakers seeking romance at a resort in Côte d'Ivoire. Blanc's character, Jean-Claude Dusse, an awkward bachelor who just cannot manage to seduce women. Blanc feared, after two Les Bronzés sequels, that he might become typecast as "a lovable deadbeat". Blanc extended his range with serious film roles (such as in the films of André Téchiné), theatre work, screen-writing (from Les Bronzés to Un petit boulot in 2016) and film direction (Grosse Fatigue in 1994, Mauvaise Passe filmed in London in 1999, Embrassez qui vous voudrez in 2002 and Voyez comme on danse in 2018). He declined to direct Une petite zone de turbulences in 2009 while nonetheless preparing the screenplay and starring.Dossier de presse (press file) for Une petite zone de turbulences, 2009, UGY YM, TF1 Films Production. Blanc began his directing career with the comedy Marche à l'ombre, starring alongside Gérard Lanvin in 1984. The sharp dialogue and the contrast between the main duo assured the film a great success that year with over 6 million cinema entries.
Blanc commented in 2010 "I'm very wary about forming habits when it comes to film-making, and art in general". In terms of his working methods as a writer, in adaptating a novel or text for a screen play he was wary of losing the original style, and he hated snipping scenes he liked. "So I always work the same way. I write. Then I leave it alone three weeks before reworking it. At that point, it's no longer the book I'm adapting, but my script. For A Spot of Bother I wrote five different versions, then Alfred worked on my final version to make his shooting script."
Michel Blanc translated and adapted several English-language plays for the French stage, such as Je veux faire du cinéma in 1992 (I ought to be in pictures) by Neil Simon, Temps variable en soirée in 1996 (Communicating Doors) after Alan Ayckbourn, Espèces menacées in 1997 (Funny money) by Ray Cooney, La Chambre bleue in 1999 (The Blue Room, after La Ronde) by David Hare, La Valse à Manhattan in 2001 (The West Side Waltz) by Ernest Thompson, L'amour est enfant de salaud in 2003 (Things we do for love) by Alan Ayckbourn, Frankie et Johnny au clair de lune in 2004 (Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune) after Terrence McNally and Tantine et moi in 2005 (Vigil, aka Auntie and Me) after Morris Panych.
A devotee of classical music since childhood, in 2004 he gave the premiere of the monodrama for speaker and orchestra by Eric Tanguy, Sénèque, dernier jour in Paris with the Orchestre National de Bretagne. Blanc also wrote the text for Tanguy's theatrical work, Photo d'un enfant avec une trompette, for the Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord, which had its premiere during the theatre's 2013–2014 season.Eric Tanguy page. Ircam-Centre Pompidou, 2013 accessed 9 October 2024.
As an actor he was sometimes dubbed a "sad clown" in the press, but he said this missed the mark. He told the French media and culture periodical Télérama "I'm not a sad clown at all, I'm a worried clown".
Blanc is one of a few people to have won awards at the Cannes Film Festival in both a creative and performing role, winning the Male Acting Prize in 1986 for Antoine in Tenue de Soirée, and the Best Screenplay Prize for Grosse Fatigue in 1994.
Blanc died of cardiac arrest, during a medical examination, at Saint-Antoine Hospital, Paris, on 3 October 2024, at the age of 72.
Theater
As an actor Year Title Director Notes1976 Foot-ball Michel Fagadau Je vais craquer Le Splendid Théâtre du Splendid Ma tête est malade Le Splendid Théâtre du Splendid 1977 Le Pot de terre contre le pot de vin Le Splendid Théâtre du Splendid 1978 Amour, coquillages et crustacés Le Splendid Théâtre du Splendid 1982 Bunny's bar Josiane Balasko Théâtre du Splendid 1985–88 Nuit d'ivresse Josiane Balasko Théâtre du Splendid1992 Je veux faire du cinéma Michel Blanc Théâtre de la Michodière 'Art' Patrice Kerbrat Théâtre des Champs-Élysées 1995 The Merchant of Venice Jean-Luc Tardieu Maison de la culture de Loire-Atlantique Nantes
As a director Year Title Comedian Notes 1987 L'Excès contraire Dominique Lavanant Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisienswritten by Françoise Sagan 1992 Je veux faire du cinéma Michel Blanc Théâtre de la Michodièrewritten by Neil Simon
Filmography
As an actor Cinema
Year Title Role Director Notes 1974 Les filles de Malemort Daniel Daërt Bonne présentation exigée The man who arrived Charles Nemes Short 1975 Let Joy Reign Supreme Louis XV's valet Bertrand Tavernier Le bol d'air Michel Charles Nemes Short 1976 The Tenant Scope's Neighbor Roman Polanski On aura tout vu A theater's friend Georges Lautner Attention les yeux! A Cop Gérard Pirès The Best Way to Walk Raoul Deloux Claude Miller Je t'aime moi non plus A worker Serge Gainsbourg L'ordinateur des pompes funèbres Choukroun Gérard Pirès 1977 Spoiled Children The young man Bertrand Tavernier Le point de mire The cop Jean-Claude Tramont Le diable dans la boîte Pierre Lary Vous n'aurez pas l'Alsace et la Lorraine Antremont Coluche 1978 Surprise Sock The intern Jean-François Davy La tortue sur le dos The reveller Luc Béraud French Fried Vacation Jean-Claude Dusse Patrice Leconte Le beaujolais nouveau est arrivé The Captain's son Jean-Luc Voulfow 1979 The Adolescent M. Bertin Jeanne Moreau Rien ne va plus Marcel Dupin Jean-Michel Ribes La Gueule de l'autre Taboureau Pierre Tchernia French Fried Vacation 2 Jean-Claude Dusse Patrice Leconte Cause toujours... tu m'intéresses! The cop Édouard Molinaro Heroes Are Not Wet Behind the Ears A passerby Charles Nemes 1980 The Horse of Pride Corentin Calvez Claude Chabrol 1981 Viens chez moi, j'habite chez une copine Guy Patrice Leconte 1982 Santa Claus is a Stinker The obscene crank caller Jean-Marie Poiré Ma femme s'appelle reviens Bernard Fizet Patrice Leconte 1983 Circulez y'a rien à voir Inspector Leroux Patrice Leconte Gramps Is in the Resistance Father Leboeuf Jean-Marie Poiré 1984 Nemo Boris Arnaud Sélignac Marche à l'ombre Denis Michel Blanc Retenez Moi...Ou Je Fais Un Malheur Laurent Martin Michel Gérard 1985 Drôle de samedi The learner driver Bay Okan 1986 Les Fugitifs Doctor Bourdarias Francis Veber Evening Dress Antoine Bertrand Blier Cannes Film Festival – Best ActorNominated – César Award for Best Actor Je hais les acteurs Monsieur Albert Gérard Krawczyk 1988 Without Fear or Blame Verdiglione Gérard Jugnot Une nuit à l'Assemblée Nationale Walter Arbeit Jean-Pierre Mocky 1989 Monsieur Hire Monsieur Hire Patrice Leconte Nominated – César Award for Best Actor Chambre à part Martin Jacky Cukier 1990 Uranus René Gaigneux Claude Berri Strike It Rich Hotel Manager James Scott 1991 Merci la vie Raymond Pelleveau Bertrand Blier Prospero's Books Alonso Peter Greenaway The Professional Secrets of Dr. Apfelgluck The Hindu Alessandro Capone, ... 1992 The Favour, the Watch and the Very Big Fish Norbert Ben Lewin 1993 Toxic Affair The suicidal Philomène Esposito 1994 Dead Tired Himself / Patrick Olivier Michel Blanc The Monster Paride Taccone Roberto Benigni Prêt-à-Porter Inspector Forget Robert Altman 1996 Les Grands Ducs Shapiron Patrice Leconte 1999 C'est plus fort que moi Gilles Marchand Short 2002 Summer Things Jean-Pierre Michel Blanc 2004 Madame Édouard Inspector Léon Nadine Monfils 2006 You Are So Beautiful Aymé Pigrenet Isabelle Mergault Nominated – César Award for Best ActorNominated – Lumière Award for Best Actor French Fried Vacation 3 Jean-Claude Dusse Patrice Leconte 2007 The Witnesses Adrien André Téchiné Nominated – César Award for Best Actor The Second Wind Inspector Blot Alain Corneau 2008 Nos 18 ans Professor Martineau Frédéric Berthe A Day at the Museum Mosk Jean-Michel Ribes 2009 The Girl on the Train Samuel Bleistein André Téchiné 2010 A Spot of Bother Jean-Paul Muret Alfred Lot 2011 The Minister Gilles Pierre Schoeller César Award for Best Supporting Actor The Day I Saw Your Heart Eli Dhrey Jennifer Devoldère 2013 Demi-soeur Paul Bérard Josiane Balasko 2014 The Hundred-Foot Journey Mayor Lasse Hallström 2015 Memories Michel Jean-Paul Rouve The New Adventures of Aladdin Sultan Arthur Benzaquen 2016 Odd Job Gardot Pascal Chaumeil 2017 Raid dingue Jacques Pasquali Dany Boon 2018 Voyez comme on danse Jean-Pierre Michel Blanc 2019 A Good Doctor Serge Mamou-Mani Tristan Séguéla 2021 Les Tuche 4 Jean-Yves Marteau Olivier Baroux 2023 Les cadors Jean-Pierre Deloup Julien Guetta Les petites victoires Emile Menoux Mélanie Auffret Marie-Line et son juge Gilles d'Outremont Jean-Pierre Améris 2025 The Safe House Père-Grand Lionel Baier TBA Le routard Charoux Julien Hervé & Philippe Mechelen Post-Production
Television
Year Title Role Director Notes 1977 Au théâtre ce soir Sandy Remington Pierre Sabbagh TV series (1 episode) 1978 Les héritiers Ivan Chaulard Pierre Lary TV series (1 episode) Madame le juge Colomar Philippe Condroyer TV series (1 episode) Le temps d'une République The second officer Michel Wyn TV series (1 episode) 1979 Pierrot mon ami François Leterrier TV movie Les 400 coups de Virginie The antiquarian Bernard Queysanne TV mini-series Histoires insolites Inspector Maurice Ronet TV series (1 episode) Les enquêtes du commissaire Maigret Crotton Yves Allégret TV series (1 episode) 1981 Histoire contemporaine Ernest de Bonmont Michel Boisrond TV mini-series Les enquêtes du commissaire Maigret Belloir Yves Allégret TV series (1 episode) 1982 Le mystère du gala maudit Bernard Lion TV movie Les enfants du rock A classmate Jean-Noël Roy TV series (1 episode) 1983 Après tout ce qu'on a fait pour toi Pierre Jacques Fansten TV movie Merci Bernard Various Jean-Michel Ribes TV series (3 episodes) 1988 Palace Inspector Jean-Michel Ribes TV series (1 episode) Un jour à Rome Gilbert Roger Guillot TV series (1 episode) Médecins des hommes Philippe Alain Corneau TV series (1 episode) 2003 L'affaire Dominici Inspector Sébeille Pierre Boutron TV movie 2004 93, rue Lauriston Inspector Blot Denys Granier-Deferre TV movie
As a director Year Title Notes 1984 Marche à l'ombre Also Writer and ActorNominated – César Award for Best Debut 1994 Grosse fatigue Also Writer and ActorCannes Film Festival – Best ScreenplayNominated – Palme d'OrNominated – César Award for Best Original Screenplay or Adaptation 1999 The Escort Also Writer 2002 Summer Things Also Writer and ActorNominated – César Award for Best Original Screenplay or Adaptation 2018Voyez comme on danse
References
External links